Cobb Police identified the suspect as Aedan Smith, 17, who was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Wednesday night.
Sgt. Eric Smith, a Cobb P0lice spokesman, said the victim, Earl Nichols, 18, is in critical condition at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Police said Nichols was found with several puncture wounds, likely from a knife, when Cobb Police were called to the scene by Cobb school district police.
Police said that based on witness interviews, they identified Smith as the suspect, and that the two boys had had a physical altercation.
Aedan Smith was charged with aggravated assault and possessing a weapon on a school campus.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports, he was being held on $10,000 bond, but the Cobb Magistrate Court Clerk’s office said Thursday morning that bond has been revoked.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
A student stabbed another student at Sprayberry High School Wednesday morning, prompting a code red alert.
The suspected assailant was later arrested, the Cobb school district said.
A message went out to the school community said that the assailant fled the scene and the victim was being treated for injuries, but didn’t provide more details.
“Earlier today, a student used a knife to injure another student. The victim has been treated for their injuries,” a Cobb County School District spokeswoman said in a statement.
“The campus is secure, and thanks to the quick response of police the suspect is custody. Learn how we keep Cobb schools safe by visiting www.cobbshield.com and learn about Cobb’s shield of protection in this podcast.”
Wednesday’s attack at Sprayberry is the second at a Cobb high school in recent weeks.
On Feb. 1, two former McEachern High School students were shot in the school’s parking lot during an altercation and four suspects—all of them teens—have been arrested.
The situation prompted two community town halls in that area by Cobb school board member Tre’ Hutchins.
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A Cobb judge this week sentenced a man to life without parole for shooting his friend to death at an apartment complex off Delk Road in 2020.
Kehari Yarber
The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said that Kehari Yarber, 26, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony by a Cobb Superior Court jury last week.
Judge Robert D. Leonard sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole plus an additional five years to be served consecutively.
The DA’s office said in a release that police were called to an area between the Stratford Ridge complex and the Atrium at Bentley complex on Oct. 31, 2020, and found a male body in the woods.
The release said that Blake Porter, 20, was pronounced dead on the scene, and that detectives found surveillance footage showing him walking in that area with another male on the evening of Oct. 30.
According to the release, there was a muzzle flash that appeared on the video, followed by a second muzzle flash some seconds later.
The DA’s office didn’t indicate a possible motive for the shooting, but said in the release that family members described Yarber as a close friend of Porter, with some calling him his “twin.”
The DA’s office said Yarber was identified as the other man from footage at a nearby Shell station and confirmed by images from friends and social media. The release said Yarber completed a transaction at the gas station before leaving.
According to the release, Yarber was arrested in ClaytonCounty on Dec. 15, 2020.
“I am grateful for the dedication of law enforcement and the thorough work of our prosecutors in securing justice for Blake Porter and his loved ones. Our office will continue to pursue justice for victims and hold those who commit such senseless acts of violence accountable,” Cobb DA Flynn D. Broady Jr. said in the release.
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Cobb Police said a man who is suspected of stabbing another man to death on Monday has turned himself in.
Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that Randy Graham, 50, of Smyrna, is charged with attacking Herman Robinson, 40, of Marietta, with a knife in the 2600 block of Windy Hill Road at 3:25 p.m. Monday.
Police said Graham fled the scene, and when police arrived, they found Robinson with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital but died there, Wilson said.
Police said Graham contacted 911 several hours later and turned himself in. According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, he was booked in the Cobb Adult Detention Center early Tuesday morning.
Police said Robinson’s next of kin have been notified.
Graham is charged with murder, possession of a knife while committing a crime, and aggravated assault and is being held without bond.
Police said the investigation continues, and anyone with information contact Cobb Police at 770-499-3945.
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Nearly a year after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded several hundred of his clients, an East Cobb investment adviser was sentenced to federal prison this week.
John Woods, who’s been active in Walton High School sports and civic affairs in East Cobb, will serve seven-and-a-half years, plus three years on supervised probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for North Georgia.
That’s where federal prosecutors presented evidence that Woods victimized more than 400 investors, at a cost of more than $49 million, over 13 years.
In 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shut down the Ponzi scheme, run out of a fund called Horizon Private Equity, promising rates of return of six to seven percent.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release Thursday that Horizon would invest the funds in government bonds, stocks, or small real estate projects, and that clients were assured the investments were safe “because Horizon maintained a diverse portfolio.”
But prosecutors said in court last year that those funds were used instead to repay other investors and that “Horizon was able to pay guaranteed returns to investors only by raising and using new investor money.”
The defrauded clients were sent monthly statements that did not disclose that their investments didn’t provide a return to cover the cost of interest.
“Although Woods did not use the money to live a lavish lifestyle, he diverted investor funds to pet projects not approved by the investors, such as purchasing an interest in a baseball team in his home town,” the release said.
Woods, a native of Chattanooga, was a minority owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league baseball team.
Woods, 58, was formerly on the executive board of the Walton Touchdown Club and was a member of the original East Cobb Cityhood committee in 2019.
When the Ponzi scheme was shut down, the Securities and Exchange Commission estimated that Horizon investors were owed $110 million in principal payments.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah E. Geraghty also requires Woods to pay restitution. A restitution hearing is scheduled for April 15.
“Woods abused the trust of his victims, including retirees, seniors, and military veterans, who lost their life savings and retirement accounts due to his greed,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in the release.
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The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office has charged an 18-year-old with vehicular homicide and other felony charges stemming from a single-vehicle crash in January that killed two other teens and injured three others, including the suspect.
Gabe Escandon, a senior soccer player at Pope, was killed on the scene of the Jan. 8 crash in Woodstock.
Booking reports show that Oliver Luis Roman, 18, of Powder Springs, was being held without bond after being charged Wednesday morning. He is charged with two counts of first-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of serious injury by vehicle and reckless driving.
Roman allegedly was driving a Mazda 6 sedan that slammed into a tree in a median along Towne Lake Parkway in Woodstock on Jan. 9. Gabriel Escandon, 17, a member of Pope’s varsity boys soccer team, was pronounced dead on the scene, while Esteban Cortez-Rendon of Woodstock, who turned 18 that day, died at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Cherokee authorities previously said.
Chris Peixoto, a soccer player at Lassiter High School, was hospitalized with serious injuries, as were the other two occupants of the car, including Roman.
Friends and family responded to an online fundraiser that netted more than $81,000 for his recovery. A message on Jan. 28—Peixoto’s 18th birthday—said asked for continuing donations of $18 and said that “Chris is continuing to improve day by day, but he still is going to need lots of support and prayers from the entire community.”
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A couple weeks after a Cobb Police K-9 annex was named for Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, the new facility will officially open next week.
A ribbon-cutting for the Joann K. Birrell Police K9 annex will be Tuesday at 10 a.m. at 1060 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta.
That’s where the team of nine K-9 teams operates in assisting in criminal investigations, including narcotics, explosives, evidence recovery and search and rescue.
Birrell, a noted dog-lover, was taken by surprise during a recognition at the board’s Jan. 9 meeting, when her colleagues informed her they voted to name the new facility after her.
She was also joined by her husband, David Birrell, and some of the K-9 dogs, who are Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds and a Dutch Shepherd.
As a leader of the Northeast Cobb Business Association, she led fundraising efforts to help Cobb Police purchase service dogs before she was in public office.
As a commissioner, she has earmarked some of her district contingency funding to replace a retiring dog and fund the department’s kennel system.
Birrell also helped create Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets, a partnership with Superior Plumbing and Cobb Animal Services that waives fees for military veterans who adopt shelter dogs and cats.
The Cobb Police K-9 program accepts donations from the public; more information and online payment are available by clicking here.
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Cobb Police said Wednesday that an officer shot a man with a gun after confronting him on Columns Drive in East Cobb Tuesday evening.
Officer Joseph Wilson said in a release that police received numerous 911 calls around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday saying that a man was walking down Columns Drive and firing his gun.
When officers arrived, police confronted him near the front door of a Columns Drive home and ordered him several times to drop the weapon, Wilson said.
When the suspect refused, according to Wilson, an officer fired at and struck the suspect, who was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case and in a release Wednesday afternoon, said the suspect was identified as Thomas Yarborough, 83, of Marietta.
The GBI said Yarborough is in critical condition and no officers were injured.
The GBI will turn over the findings of its investigation to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
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Cobb Police said Wednesday that one suspect was taken into custody and two others remain at-large following a carjacking attempt that occurred near the KSU campus Tuesday.
Officer Aaron Wilson said that three males carjacked a 2023 Cadillac on Frey Road in Kennesaw and headed toward the KSU campus around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The vehicle was spotted by the Cobb Police Real-Time Crime Center near campus, and KSU authorities issued a lockdown around 6:20 p.m. following reports of an armed intruder, Wilson said in a release.
Marquise Adams, 17, of Lithonia, was arrested following a brief foot chase with the keys to the Cadillac in his possession, police said.
Police said that no shots were fired during the incident and that they searched the area for several hours for the other suspects. The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb Police Major Crimes Unit at 770-499-4111.
UPDATED, 8:40 PM:
An all-clear message has been issued and all campus operations have resumed.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
Kennesaw State University issued an emergency alert shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday, saying that an armed suspect has been reported near the main campus in Kennesaw.
The university’s Office of Emergency Management is asking those on campus to remain sheltered in place until further notice.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the message was updated to say that all persons should remain sheltered in place, and that police are searching the area.
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Residents in the Loch Highland neighborhood in East Cobb are helping out one of their own for the Christmas holiday after his home was destroyed in a fire Saturday.
Neighbors have set up a fundraising drive for Bobby Bell, who lives on Loch Highland Pass, and according to a resident escaped the blaze with his two dogs, wallet and phone.
Everything else was lost in the fire, which broke out Saturday evening, according to the Cobb Fire & Emergency Services Department.
Cobb Fire spokesman Troy Lange said a call was made at 6:54 p.m. Saturday but by the time crews arrived the home was fully engulfed in flames.
He said the preliminary cause is from a fire in the fireplace.
The Loch Highland resident sent us the above photo and said that a fundraising goal of $20,000 has been set for Bell, with more nearly $7,000 having been raised (there’s also a QR code below that’s accepting donations).
She said Bell has been staying in a hotel paid for by the Red Cross and that an empty home in Loch Highland has been offered as a temporary shelter “until he can get his own place and someone else has offered their basement apartment.”
“Please consider giving a little or a lot to help him re-establish his home to cover his basic needs,” the fundraising appeal on GiveSendGo states. “If you can’t give, you can send Bobby your prayers.”
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After years of planning and building, there is now a safe place for people to go to get the care they need when leaving destructive and abusive situations. Last week, officials and supporters cut the ribbon on the Cobb County Family Advocacy Center—a central location for crime victims to get assistance. The FAC is designed to address barriers faced by victims, by locating critical service providers under one roof with a coordinated intake process.
The FAC will meet the wide and varied needs of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and human trafficking. Read more about the Cobb Family Advocacy Center at CobbFAC.org.
Some more background information about the center, which operates out of the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, and is the first such center in the state of Georgia providing coordinated services:
The office was awarded a four-year grant worth up to $400,000 to create the advocacy center, which is partnering with LiveSAFE Resources, SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc., the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and Police Department, the Solicitor General’s Office, Legal Aid of Cobb County and other law enforcement and non-profit organizations.
“Make no mistake—there’s a problem with domestic violence in this county,” Cobb Chief Magisrate Court Judge Brendan Murphy said at the Dec. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We came together to do something about it.”
Instead of having to go from government offices and courts “telling their story over and over,” Murphy said the center is designed as a single point of navigation for victims.
Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady, who said he grew up in a home with domestic violence, said when he began to go public with his family’s story, others told him he was telling their story too.
“We knew we had to find a way to get people help,” he said. “Our vision is that we will provide a safe place for our community, especially for those who are most vulnerable.”
The facility is located at 277 Fairground Street, location of Cobb’s Department of Family and Children Services.
The hours are Monday-Friday from 9.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 770-528-8121.
A teenager who was 15 years old when he was charged with the murder of another juvenile has been given a life sentence for the crime, the Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Brayan Rivas, now 18, was given a life sentence without parole plus 20 years by Cobb Superior Court Judge Kimberly Childs after he pleaded guilty in court to charges of malice murder and street gang terrorism, the DA’s office said in a release.
Rivas was indicted in January 2021 on 12 felony counts and was on trial for the April 8, 2020 murder 14-year-old of Janina Valenzuela.
She was riding her bicycle at the Arbors of East Cobb apartments, accompanied by her boyfriend, who was walking with her, according to testimony presented at the trial.
The DA’s office said Marietta Police concluded that they were confronted by a male juvenile, later identified as Rivas (and who is identified as Brayan Segura in court filings).
Janina Valenzuela
Prosecutors said Rivas threatened them both with a knife and tried to start a fight with the other boy. Valenzuela ran away on foot and her boyfriend used a bicycle to escape, according to the DA’s office, with Rivas in pursuit.
The DA’s office said investigators determined that the girl was chased into the woods behind the apartments and was stabbed to death by Rivas. Valenzuela’s body was found in a creek at the back of the complex, according to police.
After Rivas was arrested, he initially denied responsibility, but in a letter he mailed from jail that was obtained by law enforcement, he confessed to killing the girl as part of an initiation rite with the MS-13 criminal street gang, the DA’s office said.
Prosecutors also said that the knife that was used in the killing and that was found at Rivas’ residence was confirmed by the GBI as having the victim’s DNA.
“This was one of the most heinous and senseless murders that I have ever worked,” Cobb Assistant District Attorney Jay Winkler said. “I only hope that the family has some peace knowing that the man responsible will spend the rest of his days behind bars.”
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Cobb Police said Monday they are investigating an anti-Semitic message that was projected on a bridge over Interstate 75 near Chastain Road.
Sgt. Wayne Delk said that officers reported to calls from drivers on Sunday that that a moving message had been displayed along the side of an overpass.
According to social media postings, the message said “This land is our land, Heil Hitler.”
The message comes as tensions are mounting in the Middle East, with Israel airstrikes continuing into Gaza after terrorists massacred nearly 1,500 Israelis in an Oct. 7 attack aimed at civilians.
“We recognize the deep distress and concern incidents of this nature may cause, particularly to our Jewish community members and other targeted groups,” Delk said in a release. “We stand in solidarity with all residents of Cobb County and are dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of every individual. Hate has no place in our community, and we will work to ensure that those responsible for any violations of law are held accountable. ”
That incident prompted an interfaith service at East Cobb United Methodist Church that included the presence of Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer and various elected officials.
State Rep. John Carson, a Republican who represents part of East Cobb is a co-sponsor of a bill that would include anti-Semitic messages in a hate crimes bill that has failed to pass the Georgia legislature.
In a social media post Monday, he called the I-75 incident a “stunt that is digusting. Behavior like this has no place here in Georgia. Example # (I’ve lost track) of why it’s time to pass HB30.”
Teri Anulewicz, a Smyrna Democrat who heads the Cobb legislative delegation, in referring to the GDL, said that “I don’t care that this depraved group isn’t based in Cobb. I am devastated and outraged that they continue to believe they have an audience here.”
Last week, Cobb commissioners dropped a proposed resolution condemning Hamas for the attacks on Israelis after Muslim citizens and those of Palestinian descent complained they were not included in the process.
Cobb Police didn’t indicate how the “Heil Hitler” message might have been placed on the I-75 overpass.
Delk said in the release that “it is important for our entire community to understand that proactive steps are being taken to address this incident. We want to reassure the community that acts of this nature will be rigorously investigated. Individuals found responsible for illegal conduct could face a range of charges, from traffic violations to more serious offenses. We are coordinating and will continue to coordinate with other law enforcement partners during this investigation.
“The Cobb County Police Department remains vigilant and is committed to ensuring that all residents can live and work in a community where they feel safe, valued, and respected.”
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Cobb Police said Wednesday that an East Cobb man shot his brother at a residence off Sandy Plains Road, then turned the gun on himself after a standoff that summoned SWAT units to the home.
Sgt. Wayne Delk, Cobb Police Public Information Officer, Philip Tokos, 29, died Tuesday night in an apparent suicide.
Delk said that police were called to the scene of a home on Plains Way, behind Mountain View Elementary School, at 5:41 p.m. after receiving reports of a person having been shot.
Delk said that Tokos and his brother, Michael Tokos, 32, “had been involved in a heated argument” and that Philip shot Michael in his lower right leg. Police didn’t say what the argument was about.
But they said Michael Tokos was able to leave the home and get medical assistance, and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Delk said that “officers had reason to believe that Philip Tokos was still alone inside the residence” and they obtained an arrest warrant and a search warrant.
A SWAT team also arrived on the scene, and when police went inside the home, they found the body of Philip Toskos, whom they said was deceased due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Delk said next of kin has been notified and the Cobb Police Special Victims Unit is taking over the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 770-801-3470.
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Following up our story of last week’s shooting by Woodstock Police of a suspect who allegedly dodged a traffic stop:
The suspect, Emmanuel Millard, 20, of Marietta, has died, according to his mother, who is organizing a fundraiser for burial expenses and legal fees “in our pursuit of justice for Emmanuel.”
In a GoFundMe appeal posted on Tuesday, Lenette Millard said her son died on Saturday, two days after the incident with police that ended at an intersection in Northeast Cobb.
“What’s equally devastating is the fact that this information was kept hidden from the public—my son was shot in the head by the police,” she said.
“My family is struggling to come to terms with this profound loss, and the lack of transparency surrounding Emmanuel’s tragic death only adds to our pain. The police department is wrong, yet they have provided us with no information, no closure, and no justice.”
The fundraising appeal has raised more than $1,000 of a goal of $8,000.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation—which takes over officer-involved shootings—said Friday that Millard fled a Woodstock Police traffic stop at Highway 92 and Hames Road Thursday night, then took officers on a chase that ended at Alabama Road and Old Mountain Park Road in Northeast Cobb.
The GBI release said that during the case, Millard ran off the road several times, nearly struck other vehicles and tried to hit police vehicles.
After cornering Millard’s vehicle and causing it to crash, the GBI said Woodstock Police tried to remove the suspect from the car, then shot him once.
The GBI release didn’t say where Millard was shot, but that officers rendered aid until he was taken to North Fulton Hospital. WSB-TVreported that the incident was captured on policy body camera video.
A GBI spokeswoman confirmed Millard’s death and said the investigation is continuing. She previously had said that the agency’s findings into the shooting will be turned over to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is completed.
The Woodstock officer has been placed on administrative leave.
“The Woodstock Police Department understands the value of every human life and will work to maintain transparency throughout this investigation,” Woodstock Police said last Friday.
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Last month the Cobb District Attorney’s Office said it had solved a 51-year-old murder case involving a Marietta girl, Debbie Lynn Randall, whose body was found in January 1972 off Powers Ferry Road, several weeks after she had gone missing.
The DA’s office used advanced technology to conclude that the man who abducted, raped and strangled her was William Rose, then 24, and who committed suicide two years later.
The advocacy group Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta, which was formed in the wake of that tragedy, will be dedicating a memorial butterfly garden on Thursday in honor of Randall at its Marietta headquarters.
The ribbon-cutting is Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at 461 Manget Street, and you’re asked to RSVP by e-mailing scade@girlsincatl.org if you wish to attend.
“In 1972, the tragic loss of Debbie Lynn Randall, shook our community to its core,” Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta CEO Tiffany Collie-Bailey said in a message that went out Monday. “We saw then firsthand the risks and devastation that exist wherever girls are left unprotected.
“This horrific story and many other stories like it are the reasons that Girls Inc of Greater Atlanta (GIGA) and 76 other affiliates across the nation exist. Three weeks ago, because people never forgot Debbie or the trauma of her family, her case was finally solved.”
What eventually became the Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta was started in 1974 by Marietta residents Irma Glover and Joyce Dunaway Parker, who appealed to the Marietta City Council to provide a safe space for girls in the form of the Marietta-Cobb Girls Club.
Cobb commissioners helped the organized acquire land near Larry Bell Park to establish not only an “organization, but to an entire mission of providing a safe space for all girls.
“We as an organization, and our founder Ms. Dunaway-Parker are fortunate to be able to witness the solving of her tragic murder 51 years later, although bittersweet,” Collie-Bailey said.
“We would like to take time to honor this long-awaited occasion by not only remembering and mourning the life of Debbie Lynn Randall, but also by acknowledging the continued need to keep girls safe physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday it is conducting an investigation into an officer-involved shooting following a vehicle chase that ended in Northeast Cobb.
A GBI release Friday afternoon said that a Woodstock Police officer shot Emmanuel Millard, 20, of Marietta, Thursday night after the suspect fled a traffic stop.
Woodstock Police said Millard ran off the road several times, nearly struck other vehicles and tried to hit police vehicles.
The GBI said Millard was seriously injured from a single gunshot wound and is hospitalized.
The GBI said a preliminary report indicated that a Woodstock officer was conducting a traffic stop at Highway 92 and Hames Road, near the Cobb County line, around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when the driver of the vehicle refused to stop.
He led officers on a pursuit before they were able to perform a PIT maneuver (Precision Mobilization Technique) on the vehicle, boxing it in near the intersection of Highway 92 (Alabama Road) and Old Mountain Park Road, near the Cobb-Roswell line.
As officers tried to remove the suspect from the car, Millard was shot once, and officers rendered aid until EMS arrived on the scene, according to the GBI.
The GBI said Millard was in serious condition at North Fulton Hospital. The agency said the results of its investigation into the shooting will be sent to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office for review.
The officer was place on administrative leave by Woodstock Police.
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More than 50 years after the body of a 9-year-old girl was found in the East Cobb area, the Cobb District Attorney’s office said it has determined who killed her.
Debbie Lynn Randall went missing from her Marietta home in January 1972, prompting a massive search that galvanized the community.
She was found three weeks later in an area on Powers Ferry Road near Windy Hill Road, raped and strangled to death.
At a press conference on Monday, District Attorney Flynn Broady said investigators from his office’s Cold Case Unit confirmed that the girl’s killer was William Rose of Mableton, who was 24 at the time.
The DA’s office said Rose knew people who lived at a Marietta apartment complex where Randall and her family were residents.
On Jan. 13, 1972, Randall, who was a student at Pine Forest Elementary School, didn’t return home from a nearby laundromat. Police said she had been abducted and discovered spilled detergent across the street from her home, the only clue at the time.
The search grew to more than 4,000 volunteers who fanned out around Marietta and Cobb. Students from Southern Technical Institute (now part of Kennesaw State University) found Randall’s body, but Marietta Police investigations that followed turned up thousands of leads but no suspect.
Broady said Monday that new technology helped solve the case. The DA’s office got the case in 2015, and sent evidence for advanced DNA analysis in the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS), but without any results.
The advancement of genetic genealogy technology produced further information, helping investigators develop what’s called a familial DNA profile.
The body of Rose, who committed suicide in 1974, was exhumed, with DNA tests confirming him as the killer, according to the Cobb DA’s office.
Randall’s mother died in 2018 and her father in 2022.
“The loss of a loved one, especially one of such a tender age is difficult to comprehend,” Broady said. “This family has waited for decades for an answer. This information will not replace the pain of losing Debbie Lynn.”
He thanked Cold Case Unit Detective Ron Alter and other agencies “to provide some closure to this case.”
They included Marietta Police, Randall’s family, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, DNA Labs International and Rose’s family
(Photos provided by Cobb District Attorney’s Office.)
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Cobb Police on Monday said they are seeking the public’s help in searching for a 16-year-old murder suspect following a shooting death at a Delk Road apartment earlier this summer.
Police issued a photo and description of Christopher McMutry, whom they believe took part in a shooting on July 30 at the Stratford Ridge complex (2560 Delk Road).
McMutry is described a black male, approximately five-feet-four, weighing 115 pounds, and who has brown eyes and brown hair with short twists.
Police said that a homicide investigation began after two teenage suspects were identified. The other suspect, Jacob Coggins, 17, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and murder.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports, Coggins remains in custody without bond at the Cobb Adult Detention Center.
Police said they have been unable to find McMutry, but provided no other details, including the identity of the victim, and are asking anyone with information to report it, “no matter how small it may seem.”
Tips can be submitted to the Cobb County Police Tip Hotline by calling 770-499-4111 and indicating case number 23-059903.
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The Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department said Wednesday that it has disciplined seven firefighters who were found to have “collaborated on answers in a proctored-exam situation.”
Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Chief Bill Johnson
A release issued by the Cobb Communications Office said that following an internal investigation, four of the firefighters were demoted from lieutenant to engineer, and three others—two engineers and a firefighter—were suspended without pay.
“We are extremely disappointed by the poor judgment of these firefighters,” Fire Chief William Johnson said in the release. “We launched an investigation as soon as we learned of the accusation. Those involved cooperated with us and realized they had made a huge mistake. The punishment is severe but should send a message that this department will not tolerate any breach of ethical behavior.”
The release said the exam was a state-administered certification for becoming instructors on “specific fire apparatus operations.”
He said the seven individuals otherwise had “spotless records. The discipline rendered hopefully reinforced all the values that the department embraces. It is regrettable, but it shows we will handle these situations appropriately, knowing the department’s reputation is on the line.”
Johnson said the department will review how the courses in question are handled in Cobb County and will work “with the state to make any changes necessary.”
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David Zandstra after his arrest in Cobb; Gretchen Harrington. Photos: Delaware Co. (Pa.) district attorney
A retired minister who has been living in East Cobb has been charged with abducting and killing an eight-year-old girl who was attending Bible school at his church in Pennsylvania nearly 50 years ago.
The district attorney in Delaware County, Pa., west of Philadelphia, said Monday that David George Zandstra, 83, has been charged with murder and kidnapping of a minor and the possession of an instrument of crime.
Zandstra was taken into custody on July 17 by Cobb Police after being questioned by Delaware County investigators who had traveled to Marietta.
He remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center after being denied bail, charged with being a fugitive from justice, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
Gretchen Harrington went missing on August 15, 1975, as she was walking in Marple Township, Pa., to Bible school at Trinity Church Chapel Christian Reform Church, where Zandstra was a pastor. The girl’s father was a pastor at The Reformed Presbyterian Church nearby, which also served as a venue for the Bible school.
The DA’s office said her father became worried when she didn’t show up at the latter church that day, and reported her missing to police.
Gretchen Harrington’s skeletal remains were identified at a state park several miles away on Oct. 14, 1975.
But the case into finding her killer went cold after some early leads fizzled, according to a release on Monday from Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in Delaware County.
A witness at the time said the victim was seen with the driver of a Cadillac or station wagon. The driver was interviewed by police but denied seeing the girl on the date she disappeared, the DA’s office said.
After living in Pennsylvania, Zandstra resided in Plano, Texas, before moving to the Marietta area. His Cobb booking report residence is listed as being in the Lakewood Colony neighborhood, off Shallowford Road and west of Trickum Road.
Cobb property tax records indicate Zandstra and his wife have owned a home in that subdivision since 2005.
The case was revived when Delaware County investigators earlier this year talked to an individual who said she was best friends with Zandstra’s daughter, and who would stay at the minister’s home for sleepovers when she was a girl.
The witness said that when she was 10, she was awakened by Zandstra groping her, and another friend told her that he “did that sometimes,” according to the Delaware County DA.
That was right before Gretchen Harrington went missing. The same witness also told authorities a child in her class was almost kidnapped twice, and noted in her diary that she thought Zandstra might have been behind those attempts, the DA’s office said in the release.
After the DA’s office located Zandstra in the Marietta area, investigators traveled to Georgia earlier this month to talk to him.
Stollsteimer said Zandstra initially denied any involvement in Gretchen’s disappearance and killing, then was told of the witness’ allegations of his sexual misconduct.
Zandstra said he saw Gretchen Harrington walking by herself along a road as he drove in a green station wagon on the day she disappeared. He offered to drive her to the Bible school and she accepted.
Instead, he drove to a wooded area, parked the car, and asked her to remove her clothing, the DA’s office said.
Stollsteimer said Zandstra then told his investigators that after she refused to comply, he struck her in the head with his fist, causing her to bleed, and he tried to bury her body before leaving the area.
Stollsteimer said Zandstra is refusing to waive extradition to Pennsylvania, and that a request will be submitted to Gov. Josh Shapiro to forward to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
“Justice does not have an expiration date. Whether a crime happened fifty years ago or five minutes ago, the residents of the Commonwealth can have confidence that law enforcement will not rest until justice is served,” Lt. Jonathan Sunderlin of the Pennsylvania State Police said in the Delaware County DA’s release.
Stollsteimer thanked Cobb Police among various law enforcement agencies that have been working on the case for decades.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued a statement from the Harrington family:
“We are extremely hopeful that the person who is responsible for the heinous crime that was committed against our Gretchen will be held accountable. It’s difficult to express the emotions that we are feeling as we take one step closer to justice.
“If you met Gretchen, you were instantly her friend. She exuded kindness to all and was sweet and gentle. Even now, when people share their memories of her, the first thing they talk about is how amazing she was and still is…at just 8 years old, she had a lifelong impact on those around her.
“The abduction and murder of Gretchen has forever altered our family and we miss her every single day. We are grateful for the continual pursuit of justice by law enforcement, and we want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for never stopping in their constant search for answers. We would not be here today if it was not for them. Thank you for your understanding, love, and continued support. It means the world to us.”
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roady said Monday that new technology helped solve the case. The DA’s office got the case in 2015, and sent evidence for advanced DNA analysis in the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS), but without any results.
